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A massive article titled Transforming Grimlock: How High Moon saved the Dinobots has been posted by theverge.com's Russ Pitts. In this extensive article you get to hear from game director Matt Tieger what it takes to create Dinobot's in the current game story arc. There a lot of great new pictures of Grimlock Slag, Snarl and Swoop.

Matt Tieger has decided that what he wants in his next game is a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex from outer space who fights with a sword and a shield and breaths fire. And is a robot.

What he wants, in other words, is Grimlock, the Dinobot. All that stands in his way is the company who owns the Transformers, Hasbro, and they've decided that Grimlock (and the rest of the Dinobots) are being retired.

According to Hasbro, the Dinobots will not be in any Transformers movies. They will not be in any Transformers games. They will not be in any Transformers anything. They are finished.

The people at Hasbro, in other words, tell Tieger that Grimlock will be done away with.

This is the story of how he tried to change their mind.

Matt Tieger wanted to be a paleontologist when he grew up. And a marine biologist. And an artist. But mainly: Paleontologist. He loved dinosaurs. Knew all of their names. He wanted to dig their bones out of the Earth and tell their stories.

By the time he went to college, he'd changed his mind. He wanted to be a marine biologist again. He studied marine biology. Then, just shy of a Ph.D from Rutgers, he changed his mind yet again and left to make videogames.

Now Tieger works as Game Director for High Moon Studios, the company behind 2010's Transformers: War for Cybertron. For Matt, it is the best job in the world. Particularly because he is now in charge.

His new game is the sequel to War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron, and what Tieger wants more than anything is to let players be the leader of the Dinobots.

"As a fan of Transformers," Tieger told Polygon, by phone. "Grimlock is, if not my favorite, in my top three favorite Transformers of all time.

Also included in this article is the origins of the Dinobots in Fall of Cybertron, and anyone who has read SPOTLIGHT: SHOCKWAVE, will know just where this is headed:

As Tieger explains it, it goes like this: "It's all about loyalty in the Decepticon.

"Megatron is obviously in charge of the Decepticons, [and has] three lieutenants: Shockwave, Soundwave and Starscream (which by the way is very confusing to people who are not big Transformers fans because they're all Ss), but it's all about loyalty.

"Soundwave is loyal to Megatron above all things.

"Starscream is loyal to Starscream above all things.

"Shockwave is loyal to Cybertron above all things.

"So Shockwave's plan is:

"'We're not going to leave Cybertron. I'm going to save it. I'm going to search the cosmos, find a world that is teeming with what I can covert into Energon (the Transformers energy source). And I'm going to suck that planet dry and ... use it to reboot my home.'"

This is a thorough article packed with Dino-information. A great read for Transformer and video game fans alike. Check out this full article by clicking HERE.

Along with the write up are dozens of concept art, reference pictures used by the design team and artwork used to pitch the idea of Dinobots in this game to Hasbro. Mirrored below are some of the new Dino screen shots and concept designs. Click on any image to be taken to the full article.

(also, looks like FOC Sludge is off chilling with TF:TM Snarl somewhere)

assembling a Neo-G1/TF:TM cast. Please PM if you have (or know of) the following at a reasonable price: Classics or Henkei Astrotrain, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, or 3rd Party iGear Ratchet and Ironhide. Also looking for Universe Repugnus and Overbite, Frostbite and Longhorn and any Webdiver toys.

Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'

Motto:"I don't do cakes. I don't bake them, and I don't jump out of them!"

Weapon: Plasma Blaster

Y'know, when my nephews first got into Transformers when they were little kids about nine years ago, they became huge fans of the Dinobots. They were even happy to get Dinobots in the Energon line. Even though they weren't the "real" Grimlock and Swoop, the boys still had fun playing with them. They've had Classics Grimlock, and all three of the Animated Dinobots as well, and they like to check out my MP Grimlock whenever they come over.

that was a great read, it's just a shame that the story of how they get made into dinosaurs has a very large plot hole. 70 million years ago is when Shockwave saw earth. Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops hadn't evolved yet, 67 million years is the oldest estimate. Pteranadon was 80 million years old at the earliest. Also, Apatosaurus and Stegosaurus were long gone. 150 million years ago is the youngest estimate. However, considering this is a game and story featuring giant autonomous robots from another world, I can over look this fact simply because it is so fricking awesome all 5 Dinobots will be in the game.-paleontological rant over-

On a side note, bad move on Hasbro for planning to retire the Dinobots. Thank god for Matt Tieger. Hear that Hasbro and Michael Bay, Dinobots are still awesome enough to be in the franchise, it just takes someone dedicated to them to make them work again.

Motto:"For I have dipped my hands in muddied waters, and, withdrawing them, find 'tis better to be a commander than a common man!"

Weapon: Dark Saber Sword

Trikeboy wrote:that was a great read, it's just a shame that the story of how they get made into dinosaurs has a very large plot hole. 70 million years ago is when Shockwave saw earth. Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops hadn't evolved yet, 67 million years is the oldest estimate. Pteranadon was 80 million years old at the earliest. Also, Apatosaurus and Stegosaurus were long gone. 150 million years ago is the youngest estimate. However, considering this is a game and story featuring giant autonomous robots from another world, I can over look this fact simply because it is so fricking awesome all 5 Dinobots will be in the game.-paleontological rant over-

On a side note, bad move on Hasbro for planning to retire the Dinobots. Thank god for Matt Tieger. Hear that Hasbro and Michael Bay, Dinobots are still awesome enough to be in the franchise, it just takes someone dedicated to them to make them work again.

BeastProwl wrote:Fun read. If the dinobots are truly retired in hasbro's eyes, does that mean no toys?

We'll should know the answer this weekend.

Based on the hints dropped at the panel I sat through in Singapore, I would bet on seeing at least a new plastic Grimlock this weekend, hopefully the whole team. Sad though that if we do get them, they'll be deluxe figures and not voyagers.

I can't get behind a company retiring ANY ideas or characters. It's just... lazy to think that old ideas and characters can't work. You just have to have some dedication and creativity. Though I'm hoping Matt Tieger proved this point to Hasbro once and for all. I'm not too sure about it, but I'm hoping...

Lord Onixprime wrote:Unfortunately, Generations has only been Deluxe class figures.

Well if the first "Generations" line ended, and Generations is going to completely fill 2013's toy lineup, I think it's safe to say that they're planning to give the line more size classes. It might be a bit odd only seeing deluxes on the shelves after TF: Prime finishes.

I'm glad Hasbro decided to go with the Dinobots, it will make the game much more fun!Maybe well get lucky and see the Dinobots in the next Movie I'd like to see something like that movie concept for Grimlock, that a fan made a while back, on the big screen!

The beginning of this article scared the crap outa me at first, thinking the game was suddenly going to be made (or not made) without the Dinobots.

Pretty great origin story. It makes it kinda cool that Grimlock has such a hatred for Shockwave in Shockwaves spotlight, even though it was from a seperate incident. Honestly though, considering the garbage Hasbro let fly with Michael Bay, I am surprised they gave Matt such a hard time. All worked out in the end I guess, so whatever. Sounds like Hasbro just wants to grow the future brand, rather than cater to the older crowd. High Moon to the rescue!

THE POWERS OF DARKNESS ARE A MORE POWERFUL WEAPON THAN ALL THE TOYS YOUR SCIENCE CAN MUSTERDie, Autobots!

I can't get behind a company retiring ANY ideas or characters. It's just... lazy to think that old ideas and characters can't work. You just have to have some dedication and creativity. Though I'm hoping Matt Tieger proved this point to Hasbro once and for all. I'm not too sure about it, but I'm hoping...

Lord Onixprime wrote:Unfortunately, Generations has only been Deluxe class figures.

Well if the first "Generations" line ended, and Generations is going to completely fill 2013's toy lineup, I think it's safe to say that they're planning to give the line more size classes. It might be a bit odd only seeing deluxes on the shelves after TF: Prime finishes.

Don't worry, people like TFC, Make Toys and iGear are praying that Hasbro drops the ball with the Dinobots. Hasbro know if they don't do the Dinobots properly they will be prime designs for 3rd parties to jump all over. If they fail, while being expensive, we will see voyager sized FoC Dinobots eventually.

So Hasbro was seriously going to retire the Dinobots, apparently because they don't have a logical place in the live-action movies.

Interesting term there, "RETIRE". So if Hasbro retires a part of its I.P., with no intention to ever use it again, could that mean that it becomes public domain? As in, had they not turned around and made the sound decision to include them in FOC, 3rd party companies could have started cranking out Voyager-to-Masterpiece-sized toys that look EXACTLY like G1 animation and comic model dinobots, or even unlimited KOs of the actual Dinobot toys without ANY fear of legal reprisals?

Someone please, please ask this question at a panel! And follow up with a question about allowing sales of fan art, 3rd party items, and KOs that strongly resemble "retired" concepts and characters. Yes, it's a dickish issue to push, but I think we'd all like this clarified long before BotCon 2013.